'Forgotten War' veterans emerging

There were no ticker-tape parades or bands playing when soldiers and sailors returned home from the Korean War almost 60 years ago. The names of their battles — Inchon, Pork Chop Hill — aren't engraved on the public conscience the way D-Day and Midway are.

Though only five years passed between the end of World War II and the start of the Korean Conflict, those who fought in what's been called "The Forgotten War" had a much different experience than "The Greatest Generation."

And those differences are reflected in who they are today: Men and women who have lived in World War II's shadow and whose stories eventually may be lost because they are reluctant to tell them.

When those who served in WWII came home, "they were heroes," says Ray White, a 77-year-old Delray Beach resident who enlisted in the Marines in 1952 at age 17. "When we came home, nobody knew we were gone.

"We came back to nothing."

Those who served in Korea, however, now are moving to the front lines as World War II's old soldiers are fading away. There are 212,500 Floridians who fought in Korea, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as compared with 187,900 from WWII.

In South Florida, according to the Census, the numbers are about even, with 10,771 Korean veterans in Broward County, about 1,150 less than those from WWII. In Palm Beach County, there are 19,175 Korean veterans, about 1,750 less than WWII.

Korean vets, in their late 70s and early 80s, have similar health-care needs as the World War II vets in their 90s. Both groups march in parades and worry about their pension benefits.

But World War II vets have been eager to talk. In fact, they make up most of the 2,000 interviews that are part of the Reichelt Oral History Program at Florida State University in Tallahassee. By comparison, there are only about 25 interviews on Korea.

The program's director, Robin Sellers, says she has struggled to get Korean veterans to come forward — a problem shared by the national Veterans History Project, the largest of its kind and based at the Library of Congress.

"My theory is Americans only want to talk about wars we win," Sellers says. "We talk about the American Revolution but not about the War of 1812, because it was a draw. I get the impression the Korean veterans don't feel their contributions live up to what happened in World War II."

The national history project has started special outreach programs targeting Korean vets.

Like many Korean veterans, White said initially he didn't get involved with veterans' activities because they were dominated by World War II vets determined to stay in charge. But over the years he changed his mind, joining the Jewish War Veterans, Disabled American Veterans and other groups, holding state and national positions.

White, who has a combat-related disability, thinks other Korean vets followed a similar path.

"We came to realize if all veterans have a solid front, we would have a solid voice," he said.

Paul Flanagan, 82, couldn't wait to join up after hearing World War II tales from his two oldest brothers, including one who survived the Normandy invasion by clinging to a floating garbage can. He had no idea he would end up on an aircraft carrier offshore from Korea.

But it wasn't until about 13 years ago, when he saw a color guard practicing at an American Legion Post, that Flanagan felt a familiar pull.

"It was something I had to do," he said of his work with Post 222 in Oakland Park, where he is a past commander and an honor guard at funerals.

About 6.8 million men and women served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1954, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But experts say it can be hard to determine how many fought on Korean soil, as the VA figure includes all active military personnel during that time period, not just those in the combat area.

About 33,700 Americans died in battle during the conflict, and another 3,262 were non-combat deaths.

Dr. Ronald Williams, associate chief of VA primary care service in West Palm Beach, says the Korean vet patients he's seeing more of now largely are dealing with the same medical conditions as their World War II counterparts. But he monitors them extra closely for diabetes, neuropathies and other medical complications exacerbated by old injuries from cold exposure, what he calls Korea's "signature war wounds."

Some of Korea's most vicious battles left soldiers stranded in damp, sub-zero weather. Sixteen percent of the conflict's non-battle injuries were due to cold, Williams said, and there were 5,000 so injured that they required evacuation.

"Some died of the cold," said Williams, who also is a Marine commander and reservist.